Programs

  • $45.00 – Individual Session

Date & Time Details: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm PST, Sunday, March 6

Zoom: Cinema Divina – Contemplative Rest

With M Freeman

March 6, 2022

Who has time to rest? And what does it mean, to rest? How do we actually do it? These questions are inspired by the wisdom of beloved Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. In How to Relax, he writes, “…if you’re rested and relaxed, all living beings will profit from your energy. This is the most basic kind of peace work.”

Our most basic peace work! Yet, for many of us, even for the sake of peace, stopping is hard, stillness is harder, and resting without checking out is some kind of mystical art. This session offers a cinematic meditation on the paradox that to rest is a kind of work. 

Marilyn will guide participants through a contemplative screening process with the latest Cinema Divina film, Rest, made for this session. Participants will be invited into reverent silences, writing, sharing and spacious listening.

All are welcome — beginners and long-time contemplative practitioners. No prior experience necessary.

Facilitator

M Freeman
Media artist, writer, spiritual director, and independent scholar, M Freeman works at the intersections of reckoning and resiliency, queerness and film, and contemplative, creative and social art practices. They are author of The Illuminated Space: A Personal Theory and Contemplative Practice of Media Art (The 3 rd Thing, 2020) and creator of Cinema Divina—short films for contemplative practice. Their text and media arts essays have been published in or at The Fourth Genre, Ninth Letter, TriQuarterly, Blackbird, Rolling Stone and Abbey of the Arts. Their films are screened on PBS and in galleries, spirituality centers and festivals worldwide.  marilynfreeman.com.    
Learn more about M Freeman